جَبَرْتَ بإحسانٍ لمذهب مَالِكِ

جَبَرْتَ بإحسانٍ لمذهب مَالِكِ

قلوباً كَوَاهَا الْكَسْرُ يا خَيْرَ مَالِكِ

قلوباً كَوَاهَا الْكَسْرُ يا خَيْرَ مَالِكِ

Through kindness to Malik’s school, you mended

With kindness you mended the hearts broken and crushed, O best mender!

hearts that brokenness had seared, O best of rulers.

And mending them is not attained with worthless trinkets.

وما جَبْرُها نَيْلُ الحُطَامِ وإنّما

وما جَبْرُها نَيْلُ الحُطَامِ وإنّما

بتنوير لَيْلٍ من دُجَى الْحَيْفِ حَالِكِ

بتنوير لَيْلٍ من دُجَى الْحَيْفِ حَالِكِ

And their mending lies not in gaining worldly goods, but rather

But by dispelling the gloomy darkness of injustice that prevailed.

in lighting a night pitch-black with the gloom of injustice.

You remedied the people's negligence and lack of care.

تَدَارَكْتَ تفريطاً من النّاس غَفْلَةً

تَدَارَكْتَ تفريطاً من النّاس غَفْلَةً

وَكَمْ لَكَ من رأيٍ عزيزِ المدارك

وَكَمْ لَكَ من رأيٍ عزيزِ المدارك

You remedied the people’s heedless neglect,

And how numerous are your penetrating insights!

and how many an insight of yours is hard to fathom!

Thus you leveled the ranks of the virtuous,

فَسَوَّيْتَ ما بين الأفاضل رُتْبَةً

فَسَوَّيْتَ ما بين الأفاضل رُتْبَةً

فَهُمْ من بِساط العدل فوقَ أرائك

فَهُمْ من بِساط العدل فوقَ أرائك

So you made the eminent equal in rank,

So they, from the carpet of justice, are atop the thrones.

so they sit upon couches on the carpet of justice.

You brought a mighty measure by which the souls rejoiced,

أتَيْتَ بمقياسٍ عزيزٍ تباشَرَتْ

أتَيْتَ بمقياسٍ عزيزٍ تباشَرَتْ

بفرحته الأرواحُ من كلّ ناسك

بفرحته الأرواحُ من كلّ ناسك

You brought a precious standard; rejoicing together

Every devout worshipper from all mankind.

in its gladness were the souls of every worshipper.

Were Nu'man to swear by it, he would swear a solemn oath,

يميناً لَوِ النُّعْمانُ قُرِّرَ عنده

يميناً لَوِ النُّعْمانُ قُرِّرَ عنده

لَقُرَّ بِهِ عَيْناً ولست بآفِكِ

لَقُرَّ بِهِ عَيْناً ولست بآفِكِ

I swear: had it been presented to al-Nu'man,

And I am no revoker of that oath.

his eye would have been gladdened by it—and I am no liar.

Milk flowed from Ahmad's breast, and by it was satiated

جرى لَبَنٌ من ثَدْيِ أَحْمَدَ فارتوى

جرى لَبَنٌ من ثَدْيِ أَحْمَدَ فارتوى

به حنفيٌّ في الإخاء ومالكي

به حنفيٌّ في الإخاء ومالكي

Milk flowed from Ahmad’s breast, quenching the thirst

A Hanafi in brotherly affection and a Maliki.

of a Hanafi and a Maliki together in brotherhood,

By what the Merciful has imparted in him, and what is seen

بما أَوْدَعَ الرَّحْمَانُ فيه وما يُرَى

بما أَوْدَعَ الرَّحْمَانُ فيه وما يُرَى

لِسَيِّدِنا الباشا به من مُشارِكِ

لِسَيِّدِنا الباشا به من مُشارِكِ

through what the All-Merciful placed within him; none is seen

In our lord Pasha of participation with him.

to equal our lord the Pasha in this.

May the Master perpetuate for us the felicity of his grandfather

أدامَ لنا المولى سَعَادَةَ جَدِّه

أدامَ لنا المولى سَعَادَةَ جَدِّه

بوجهٍ وجيهٍ بَاسِمِ الثّغرِ ضَاحِكِ

بوجهٍ وجيهٍ بَاسِمِ الثّغرِ ضَاحِكِ

May the Lord preserve for us his happy fortune,

With a dignified and cheerful face, smiling Basim of the frontier!

with a noble face, smiling lips, and laughter.

And may his days be narrated, the authentic tale of them,

وأيّامُهُ يُرْوى صَحِيحُ حديثِهَا

وأيّامُهُ يُرْوى صَحِيحُ حديثِهَا

عن العزّ عن نَصْرٍ له مُتدَارِكِ

عن العزّ عن نَصْرٍ له مُتدَارِكِ

And the authentic account of his days is transmitted

Of glory, of support coming to his aid.

from glory, from victory ever renewed for him.